Ethical & Sustainable Toys
As an eco-friendly adult you do all you can to ensure your green credentials are up to date – recycling, energy-saving light bulbs, fairtrade coffee and chocolate etc. But how about sustainable toys for the children in your life? How ethical are the toys you give to the kids? And would an ethical toy make it onto a child’s wish list in the first place? In this article we’ll discuss ethical toys and find out what makes a toy ‘green’.
The ethical toy debate
The toy industry, which is said to worth around £8 billion, has long been criticised for its lack of environmental awareness. However, that hasn’t stopped adults from splashing the cash. By the time the average British child reaches the age of 16, they will have owned around £11,000 worth of toys. It’s impossible for all those toys to have been made from sustainable materials or be ethically sound, so what’s being done to improve the situation?
The answer has, until recently, been very little. The mass market for cut-price toys lends itself to huge industrialisation leading to outsourcing and then questionable labour rights for the workforce who produce the products. Then there’s the materials used in manufacture.
British Made Ethical Gifts
When it comes to shopping, choosing what we buy, when we buy and how we buy can make a big difference to climate change and the environment. Whether it’s food, furniture or face-cloths, minimising the amount of product miles goods have had to travel reduces carbon emissions. If you’re looking for the perfect gift for someone, consider buying British made ethical gifts as this is one sure way you can keep those miles to a minimum.
Reducing product miles
We’re becoming accustomed to the term ‘food miles’ when discussing food production and transportation. Food miles or ‘product miles’ can be defined as the total distance goods are transported from place of manufacture to the place of purchase and use.
Buying fruit, vegetables, meat and fish from British farms and fisheries ensures the food we eat hasn’t travelled too far as well as giving support to local producers and food distribution networks. Buying in season also guarantees better quality produce so if you’re buying vegetables that are out of season it probably means you buying something that has been imported. For example, in your local supermarket you could well find apples that have been shipped in from America (10,000 food miles) or tomatoes from Saudi Arabia (3,000 food miles).
Find Sunshine and Cheap Hotels Out of Season on Holiday
Relaxing on a sun drenched beach is a top holiday pastime, but it’s often confined to the tourist heavy peak seasons. For those seeking some winter sunshine, or perhaps looking to get away from the crowds and save a bit of cash at the same time, out of season holidaying is the answer. It doesn’t have to involve travelling half way across the globe either. There’s a good variety of year-round destinations waiting to be discovered closer to home, where warm weather and some great cheap hotels can be found.